Beehive.



` Patented Apr. 30,1901.

BA. C. SMITH. BEEHIVE. (Application led one. s, '190m (No Model.)

'NiTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN C. SMITH, OF COLDWATER, GEORGIA.

BEEHIVE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N o. 673,179, dated April 30, 1901.

I Application filed October 5, 1900. Serial No. 32,121. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN C. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Coldwater, in the county of Elbert and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Beehives, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object to provide a beehive of novel simple construction which will embody a honey-storing chamber or compartment above a brooding-compartment and practically air-tight at the joints and also afford convenient means for protecting the bees from cold and dampness during the winter, the device also furnishing means to prevent the bees from attaching honeycomb to the rear wall of the honey-holding compartment and to permit the removal of said wall at any time without fracturing the com-b. The honey is removed without jarring the hive or disturbing the brood-chamber.

, The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

, Figure l is a sectional side view of the improved beehive. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View substantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional planview of the device, substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of a slidable hood employed.

Y This invention contemplates the adaptation of a practical, novel, and economical device to the native instincts of bees, as well as the convenience and best results for the least possible eXpenditure of means and attention of bee-keepers.

The following is a detailed description of the improvement.

The body of the hive is rectangular, and, as shown, the bottom A is nailed between the side walls B and has a forward and downward inclination and extending forward to afford a sufcient alighting-board A. The front wall G is nailed in between the side walls B, so as to make an even front face, and is beveled at the lower end correspondingly with the inclination of the bottom A, which bevpieces C and D of the rear walls.

eled end stands one inch above said bottom,

thus forming the common passage a for bees. The top E is constructed of two boards, one on the other, with grain of wood crossing at right angles to prevent warping, and of such dimensions as to give it a suitable liange all around the body. The top is secu rely nailed to tops of front wall G and two side walls B only.

The upper transverse partition F is of the same width as the bottom A and is fitted in the same as the bottom A, but inclining backward and downward at an angle of about ten degrees, the front end being fitted-to the inside of the front wall G about one-fifth of the length of said front wall from its top end. The rear end E' of said partition passes between the approaching beveled ends of said rear-Wall pieces and projects sufciently to serve as a hilt and has blocks E2 of corresponding thickness nailed on its side edges to fill the spaces on either side between the This partition F is supplied with a plurality of passages, as indicated at a. I prefer threequarter-inch auger-holes, which are plugged with Stoppers of wood or corncobs of before the bees are hived and opened at such time as the bees are well established with brood and season for collecting honey is on. The piece D of the two-piece rear wall is beveled onr the lower end to correspond with the inclination of the partition F and is square to match other walls at top, but has no attachment to the top. It is covered on the internal surface with polished metal, as tin, asindicated at D in Fig. l. Both pieces C and D of `the two-piece rear wall cover the edges of Vthe side walls B and are removably att-ached by screws 2.

The front wall G has two escapes b (one-andone-half-inch auger-holes with upward inclination from without to prevent dampness seeping inward and entering honey-compartments at or a little space above its Hoor F) to be stopped with hard-wood .plugs b', first dipped in' melt-ed wax. These plugs are to be taken out a short time before taking out honey and replaced immediately afterward. All plugs or Stoppers for closing escapes and passages through holes a and b should extend about three-fourths of an inch into respective workmanship the rubber is often omitted;l

but if beework only closes the crevices incident to faulty workmanship vermin will probn ably enter, the eggs beingdeposited in such.

crevices. i

The brood-chamber B below the partition F is supplied with two bars L L, ruiming from side to side, placed so that about threefourths of the internal space of the chamber will bebetween these bars, which are placed conveniently near the under side of the partition F and spaced about one inch wider at one end than at the other. They may be fastened as the constructor may choose. Ifthe length is exact, so that all ends extend close to the side walls B, they may be nailed from outside into their ends. The brood-'comb 4frame Ll is rect-angular, the top bar project'- ing sufficiently to hang on the bars L L.

A division-board R is placed in the honeycompartment, dividing it into lateral halves and is best fixed there by guideways of dou-l ble-pointed tacks d. Pairs of saidguideways hole e, which is normally closed with a peg orV cob'e (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2) and serves as an escape when only one section is occupied, as is best in large hives unless the natural honey flow is very copious.

When honey is to be taken, the escapes b in the front wall are opened (it is obvious that' the two lateral sections may be occu- .pied in common together or singly) and time given for the bees to discover the openings. Then screws are taken out of the top piece D of the rear Wall, that is covered internally with a polished metallic substance D', such as' sheet-tin, which wall portion is gradually Iremoved as smoke is blown in gently. Ifr only one top section is occupied by bees, the upper rear-wall piece D is slipped sidewise, opening the unoccupied chamber and the stopper is removed from hole e in the divisionboard. Then rear-wall piece D is slipped back far enough to close the empty section, at the-same time making an opening through which smoke can be blown, driving bees into empty section through e and out at escapes b,

when honeycomb which is fastened firmly to the under side of the top and partially to all internal surfaces except the tin-lined rearwall piece D may be removed, there being noA need ofleaving any standing foundation or sta-rter comb.. If only-one` section is to be used again, the stopple e is replaced and all bees smoked out of the empty section through the escapes b, which are then closed, and the tin-faced rear WallD is replaced, and then the remaining escape in the front Wall G is closed and the operation is quickly coinplet'ed without the trouble of robber bees or jarring the hive or disturbing any bees V except those which chance to-be in the honeysection. The very slight chan,1 v;esiny this operation When both sections are occupied will readily suggest themselves to the operator.4

The slidable hood H is held at its ends on the walls B, adjusted to close or open it, by three thumb-screws K, as shown in Fig'. 3.

AThe hood H is elevated during the working season, when ample ventilation and free passage are necessary, and cl'oseddown in winter. The hood is surfaced with tin H' to prevent bees gluing it to the bottom A.A The entrance-notches h in it are only sufficient for the passage of-one drone ata time (threeeighths of an inch) and are numerous enough for winter ventilation and passage of bees.

It will be seen that the upper compartment for storing the surplus honey is arranged for admitting the` bees when they have become established with brood and provisions in the brood-chamber. The compartment for surplus honey will then be filled with honey free from brood or pollen. such that the honey may be removed With no disturbance to brood or bees in brood-chamber, While those in the honey-compartment are driven out through the several escapes b b.

The construction is IOO IIO

well as to close all undesirable spaces, which requires a vast amount of beework in gathyering and applying the substance. This work `of propolizing isv reduced to the minimum in l my hive, as it is made practically impervious ltto air, water, ants, roaches, and bee-moth, except at the comm'on bee-entrance, and repropolizing is not needed, since allthe lix- :tures' to which comb is attached arel permanent.

The hive may be putv up invarious sizes to accommodate large or small colonies. The external measurement of a very convenient hive may be twenty-four inches high, fourteen inches laterally, andi ten inches anteroposteriorly.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire-to secure by Letters Patentl. A beehive, comprising a box-like structure, a transverse partition therein dividing the hive into two chambers, the upper one being a honey-storing chamber, said partition extending exterior of the hive at the rear side thereof, the front wall of the honey-chamber having controlled escape-passages therein near the transverse partition, and an alighting projection on the exterior of the front wall of the hive below the escape-passages.

2. A beehive, comprising a rectangular box having an inclined bottom and a sectional removable back wall, the box being divided into an upper and lower compartment by an apertured partition inclining from the front to the rear and extending beyond the rear wall, the upper compartment being subdivided by a vertical partition having an opening therein, substantially as described.

3. A beehive, comprising a rectangular box having an inclined bottom and a sectional removable back wall, the box being divided into an upper and lower compartment by an apertured partition inclining from the front to the rear and extending out beyond the rear wall, the upper compartment having its rear wall lined with metal and subdivided into two compartments by a removable vertical partition having an opening therein each of the said compartments having an escape-opening, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN C. SMITH.

Witnesses:

N. A. CARPENTER, T. S. GAINES. 

